The following is printed in this month’s Heralds of Hope newsletter, which you can read by clicking here:

As you read in this month’s cover article, when June 30 rolls around and Pastor Wendy focuses her time and energy on Call, Inc. Hope is left with a void in our staff. The church Council has decided in order to both fill that void and fulfill Hope’s mission to help people discern God’s call to know, follow, and serve Jesus Christ that we will hire a full-time youth ministry intern. The intern will allow Matt to focus part of his time and energy on Wendy’s Ministry Development responsibilities while not neglecting the youth ministry.

To fill this youth ministry internship we have contacted John Brown University, Matt’s alma mater, and will host Zach Poulter from June-December 2009. As a student at the same university that Matt graduated from, we are familiar with the quality and nature of the education that he has received. Matt completed the same youth ministry internship with a church in Oklahoma when he was a student at JBU.

The internship program at JBU is a very unique program. Almost every Christian university that offers a youth ministry degree requires their graduates to complete a full-time youth ministry internship; however, most of these internships are only for three months during the summer. JBU requires their Youth Ministry majors to complete a seven-month internship during the summer and fall of a student’s senior year. There are numerous advantages to such a structure, both to the host church and to the intern. Zach is currently a junior at JBU and will complete his internship with Hope. He grew up in Gravette, Arkansas and is a Youth Ministry major. Currently, he serves as the part-time volunteer youth minister at a local church in Arkansas and works at the JBU library. He enjoys music and loves working with teenagers and getting to know them through building relationships. Steve and Kathy Harr have graciously offered to house Zach during his internship.

While working full-time at Hope, he will also be completing one online class, reading a required book every month, and processing his internship experience regularly with his classmates and professor through online chats. The internship is supposed to be an educational experience, the capstone in the four-year Youth Ministry Bachelor of Science degree.

This internship fits right in to Hope’s mission to help God’s people discern His call on their lives. Though this internship will allow Zach to fill part of the void as Pastor Wendy devotes her time to Call, Inc., it is primarily an opportunity for us to help train and prepare a member of the Body of Christ for full-time service in the church. The Council, Matt, and Pastors Joel and Wendy are excited about this opportunity and look forward to the months to come with Zach. We Hope that you will welcome Zach with open arms, pray for him, and support him as he goes through one of the most important times in his education.

Contact Matt Cleaver if you have any questions regarding this internship.